Described by authorities as a sadistic killer, Rhoades was charged with the 1990 abductions and slayings of newlyweds Douglas Scott Zyskowski, 28, and Patricia Walsh, 24. Authorities said the couple left Seattle in November 1989, and were hitchhiking to Georgia to preach the Christian gospel when they accepted a ride from Rhoades near El Paso. Zyskowski’s body was found in January 1990 along Interstate 10 east of Ozona, about 320 miles east of El Paso. He’d been shot, and his body wasn’t identified until 1992. The remains of his wife were found in October 1990 by deer hunters in central Utah, but they weren’t identified until 13 years later by dental records.

Police believed Rhoades held the woman captive for about a week, systematically torturing and assaulting her before shooting her several times. Rhoades was initially charged in Utah with her death, but he was later extradited to Texas where authorities said the kidnappings took place. Prosecutors in Ozona said they would seek the death penalty, but his trial was repeatedly delayed since 2009. FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap in Houston said agents couldn’t comment on the case because investigations involving Rhoades are continuing. District Attorney Laurie English was not available Thursday, and messages left with Rhoades’ lawyers were not immediately returned.